Appointment negotiation systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices includes a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices. The server further includes a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. In one embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for two users, allowing the two users to schedule an appointment with each other. In another embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for a first user and a plurality of second users, allowing the multiple users to schedule an appointment with one another.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/639,746, filed Apr. 27, 2012, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of schedulingsystems. The present disclosure relates more specifically to ascheduling system and method incorporating an appointment negotiation.

Most computer-based collaboration tools are project or team-centric,requiring a setup time and limiting user access. Different users may usedifferent applications to manage interaction with other users. Forexample, different users may use different calendar applications (e.g.,Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, iCal, etc.) to manage his or hermeetings or appointments, and may use different remote devices (e.g.,desktop, laptop, smartphone, tablet, other mobile device, etc.).

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method forproviding a scheduling service to two remote devices. The methodincludes receiving a request from a first remote device to generate anappointment request, wherein the request includes two or more possibleappointment times. The method further includes transmitting theappointment request including the two or more possible appointment timesto the second remote device. The method further includes receiving aselection of an appointment time from the two or more possibleappointment times from the second remote device. The method furtherincludes transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointmenttime to the first remote device.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method forproviding a scheduling service to a first remote device and a pluralityof second remote devices. The method includes receiving a request fromthe first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein therequest includes two or more possible appointment times. The methodfurther includes transmitting the appointment request including the twoor more possible appointment times to the plurality of second remotedevices. The method further includes receiving a selection of anappointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from atleast one of the second remote devices. The method further includestransmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remotedevice and receiving a selection of an appointment time from the firstremote device. The method further includes transmitting an indication ofthe selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remotedevices. The indication may include a vote on each appointment timeidentifying a user preference to each appointment time.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a server forproviding scheduling services to at least two remote devices. The serverincludes a communications interface for transmitting scheduling optionsto the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the atleast two remote devices. The server further includes a processingcircuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least tworemote devices.

Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features andcombinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computerized system for providing anappointment negotiation service to one or more users, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the remote device of FIG. 1, according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a user app module of the remote device ofFIG. 2, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for one-to-one scheduling using theappointment negotiation service of the present disclosure, according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-F are illustrations of example user interfaces generated in theprocess of FIG. 4, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a process for one-to-one scheduling includingcounter offering, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 7A-D are illustrations of example user interfaces generated in theprocess of FIG. 6, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a process for group scheduling using theappointment negotiation service of the present disclosure, according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-F are illustrations of example user interfaces generated in theprocess of FIG. 8, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the scheduling service module of FIG. 1,according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 11-33 are further example of user interfaces generated by thescheduling service module of FIG. 1, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplaryembodiments in detail, it should be understood that the application isnot limited to the details or methodology set forth in the descriptionor illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that theterminology is for the purpose of description only and should not beregarded as limiting.

Referring generally to the figures, appointment negotiation systems andmethods are shown and described. The systems and methods herein may beused by two or more users for scheduling an appointment, meeting, orevent; negotiating or deciding an appointment time; and otherappointment, meeting, or event decisions, including but not limited toan appointment location, a dial-in number, privacy settings, inviteepriority level (i.e., who should respond to the invite first), etc. Thesystems and methods described herein allows a user to perform such tasksthrough a user application on a remote device. The user application maybe configured to receive and send appointment information, and to syncappointment or meeting information with other applications (such as acalendar application). In one embodiment, a user may use the userapplication to create an appointment invitation to one or more otherusers, and may select one or more possible times for the appointment.The other users may use the user application or another application toaccept, decline, or propose a counter-offer for the appointment.

In one embodiment, the systems and methods herein may be used by twousers to schedule an appointment. A first user may use the userapplication to create an appointment, including two or more possibleappointment times. The appointment and possible appointment times may besent to the second user, who chooses one of the appointment times orsends a counter offer. A scheduling service may be configured to managethe process by sending out alerts to both users about the appointmentand decisions, and by managing a calendar application of each user.

In one embodiment, the systems and methods herein may be used by morethan two users to schedule an appointment. A first user may use the userapplication to create an appointment, including two or more possibleappointment times. The appointment and possible appointment times may besent to a plurality of other users. The other users may select apreferred appointment time, indicate a preference about each appointmenttime, or otherwise. A scheduling service may be configured to receivethe other user selections and provide the user selections to the firstuser. The first user may then select an appointment time based on theuser selections. The scheduling service may be configured to then sendalerts to the other users about the selection and to otherwise managethe scheduling process by managing a calendar application, etc.

In one embodiment, the systems and methods herein may create acloud-based negotiation system that allows two or more users tonegotiate in setting up an appointment, without the users using anothercalendar application or email. A user interface configured to allow theusers to set up and negotiate appointments may be used in place of othercalendar applications or email. Two or more users may set up, negotiate,and finalize an appointment through the use of push notifications only.

Referring generally to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a computerized system100 for providing an appointment negotiation service to one or moreusers is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. System 100 isshown to include one or more remote devices 102 (e.g., a mobile device)connected to a scheduling service 104 via network 110. Remote device 102may be a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone, PDA, smartphone, etc.)configured to run a mobile application 103, according to one embodiment.The plurality of remote devices 102 may connect to an appointmentnegotiation service 104. Appointment negotiation service 104 may provideappointment services as generally described in the present disclosure toa remote device 102 and application 103. Appointment negotiation service104 may provide data and user interface services to mobile application103 of remote device 102. For example, appointment negotiation service104 may provide user interfaces that allow a user to set up anappointment and select appointment times, allow a user to accept,reject, or provide a counter offer to the appointment and appointmenttimes, or other appointment negotiation activities as described herein.The activities of remote device 102 is shown in greater detail in FIG.2. The activities of appointment negotiation service 104 is shown ingreater detail in FIG. 3.

Appointment negotiation service 104 may receive and transmit data to andfrom remote device 102. For example, appointment negotiation service 104may transmit information to remote device 102 relating to a calendarentry. If a user is to receive an invitation to an appointment,appointment negotiation service 104 may be configured to send theinvitation data along with data that may be used by remote device 102 tocreate an entry on a calendar application of the user. Calendarapplications may be any type of application configured to track a user'sappointments, meetings, and other time-based or calendar-based events.Such examples of calendar applications may include iCal, GoogleCalendar, Microsoft Outlook, etc.

In one embodiment, appointment negotiation service 104 may create acalendar entry to transmit to remote device 102. The calendar entry mayrelate to an appointment and appointment times proposed by another user.Application 103 may be configured to receive the calendar entryinformation and to sync the information with a calendar application ofremote device 102. In another embodiment, appointment negotiationservice 104 may be configured to receive calendar entry information fora calendar entry from a user input via application 103.

In one embodiment, appointment negotiation service 104 may communicatewith remote device 102 and transmit the appointment data such thatremote device 102 and application 103 manages a calendar application ofthe remote device. In another embodiment, other remote devices may nothave application 103, or may not be a mobile device. In such a case,appointment negotiation service 104 is shown connected to a network 110.Appointment negotiation service 104 may receive information from variouscalendar applications 106 via network 110 for users of remote devices108 (e.g., desktops, laptops, etc.). This may allow a user withoutapplication 103 or a remote device 102 configured to run application 103to interact with appointment negotiation service 104.

Remote device 102 may be configured to connect via a wireless connectionwith appointment negotiation service 104, according to one embodiment.The wireless connection may be a local area network (LAN) connection,wide area network (WAN) connection, or any other type of wirelessconnection. Alternatively or additionally, remote device 102 may connectvia a wired connected or via any other type of connection. Network 110may be a mobile phone network, the Internet, a combination thereof, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2, a more detailed block diagram of remote device 102is shown. Remote device 102 may be used for interaction with appointmentnegotiation service 104 (e.g., for viewing appointment invitations, forcreating an appointment, etc.). Remote device 102 includes a processingcircuit 202 which includes processor 204 and memory 206. Processor 204may be implemented as a general purpose processor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitableelectronic processing components. Memory 206 is one or more devices(e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) for storing dataand/or computer code for completing and/or facilitating the various useror client processes, layers, and modules described in the presentdisclosure. Memory 206 may be or include volatile memory or non-volatilememory. Memory 206 may include database components, object codecomponents, script components, or any other type of informationstructure for supporting the various activities and informationstructures of the present disclosure. Memory 206 is communicablyconnected to processor 204 and includes computer code or instructionmodules for executing one or more processes described herein.

Memory 206 is shown to include user app module 207 for launching userapplication 103. User app module 207 may be a standalone applicationinstalled on remote device 102 for assisting with the appointmentnegotiation process. Many of the resources for providing user interfacesfor user application 103 may be stored on remote device 102 and theback-end data may be received by user app module 207 from appointmentnegotiation service 104. Referring generally to the later figures,various illustrations of example applications provided by user appmodule 207 are shown.

Remote device 102 further includes a network interface 208 configured tocommunicate with appointment negotiation service 104 via a wirelessconnection. Remote device 102 further includes input devices 210 andoutput devices 212. Input devices 210 may include any input device(touchscreen, telephone keypad, pointer, etc.) that may be used by auser to interact with user app 103. Output devices 212 may includedisplay screens, speakers, and/or any other visual or audio componentsfor providing a user of remote device 102 with feedback such asappointment information as described herein. User interface 214 may beany sensor or other control configured to accept or detect a user inputand to interpret the user input. Remote device 102 may include anynumber or types of input devices 210, output devices 212, and userinterfaces 214 that interact with user application 103 and appointmentnegotiation service 104.

Referring to FIG. 3, the activities of user app module 207 are shown ingreater detail. User app module 207 may be configured to synchronizewith other applications on remote device 102, transmit or receive datafrom the other applications, etc. The activities of user app module 207may be used to support the activities of appointment negotiation module104.

User app module 207 may be configured to synchronize with a calendarapplication at calendar module 302. Calendar module 302 may beconfigured to provide appointment information to a calendar applicationof remote device 102. Further, calendar module 302 may be configured toretrieve calendar information such as a list of appointments, meetings,and events, along with details for each appointment such as a time,attendees, location, or other information. The information may be used,for example, to present a list of available times to a user attemptingto set up an appointment, to determine other conflicts, to view userpreferences, etc. Calendar module 302 may be configured to retrievecalendar information from multiple calendars, and to combine thecalendar information for use as described in the present disclosure. Inanother embodiment, instead of working with information from anothercalendar information calendar module 302 may be configured to manage itsown calendar application for the user.

User app module 207 may further include a contact list module 304.Contact list module 304 may be configured to retrieve a contact listfrom, for example, an address book of the user of remote device 102.Contact list module 304 may provide the user with a list of people toselect to invite to an appointment. Contact list module 304 may furtherretrieve other information related to the people on the contact list(e.g., phone number, email, location, calendar, etc.) that may be usedby the user while setting up the appointment. For example, suchinformation may be retrieved from social media sites (e.g., Twitter,Facebook, etc.), email services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc.), apersonal information manager (e.g., Outlook, Exchange, etc.), or anyother source that may be accessible by remote device 102. Contact listmodule 304 may further provide a user interface that allows the user tomanually enter contact information of a user, and may be configured tostore the contact information in database 308.

User app module 207 may further include an invitation module 306configured to provide the user with a user interface for setting up aninvitation. For example, the user interface may allow the user tospecify a name for the appointment, a description of the appointment,proposed appointment times, if the appointment is recurring, or otherinformation. Invitation module 306 may be set up to allow the user tocontextually select and choose appointment times in the setup of theappointment. For example, the user may access a calendar applicationgenerated by calendar module 302 while setting up the invitation, allowthe user to view his or her own schedule to determine ideal appointmenttimes. The contextual selection highlights certain events using coloringor shading.

User app module 207 may further include database 308. Database 308 maybe configured to store user information provided by other users viaappointment negotiation service 104. For example, a user response to anappointment invitation, along with all accompanying data, may be storedby database 308. Referring generally to subsequent figures, the otheruser data displayed to a first user via user app module 207 may bestored in database 308.

User app module 207 may be configured to synchronize with otherapplications as mentioned above. For example, any time a user alterssomething in an application (e.g., calendar, email, etc.), the changemay be synchronized into user app module 207, and vice versa.

One-to-One Scheduling

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow chart of a process 400 for one-to-onescheduling using the appointment negotiation service is shown, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. Process 400 may be executed by, for example,appointment negotiation service 104 for two users (a first user using afirst remote device and a second user using a second remote device)attempting to set up an appointment.

Process 400 includes receiving a request from the first remote device togenerate an appointment request (step 402). The appointment request maybe generated by a user using user app module 207. The appointmentrequest may generally include a date, a name or title for the meeting, adescription of the meeting, a location, the person being invited, andmultiple proposed times for the appointment. For example, FIG. 5Aillustrates various user interfaces that may be presented to a usergenerating an appointment request via user app module 207. The user maybe presented with a calendar 502 and may select a particular date 504for the appointment. Upon selecting date 504, user app module 207 maypop up a list of possible times for the appointment. The list ofpossible times may be generated based on user availability (determinedusing other calendar information), user preferences, etc. The user mayselect at least two appointment times 508 (e.g., 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM, etc.)and then choose collaboration button 510. Upon pressing button 510, theuser may be presented with a user list 514 in a new window 512 topossibly invite to the appointment. User list 514 may be users who alsohave user app module 207 and are capable of negotiating the appointmenttimes via user app module 207. The user may select a user from user list514. Alternatively, if the user wants to invite another user who doesnot have user app module 207, the user may be presented with a window516 including a contact list 518 of other users. In one embodiment,instead of providing displays windows 512, 516 separately, the windowsmay be provided together. After finalizing all appointment details, theuser may send the invitation, and appointment negotiation service 104may receive the invitation and invitation details at step 402. It shouldbe understood that while the displays shown in FIG. 5A are shownindependently, the displays may be part of a contextual view provided byuser app module 207. In other words, the displays may be part of acalendar application that the user may interact with, instead of beingprovided as a separate application.

Step 402 may further include, at user app module 207, creating acalendar entry for each appointment time of the appointment. Forexample, a calendar entry marking a “tentative” appointment may becreated at 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM.

Process 400 further includes transmitting the appointment request,including the two or more possible appointment times, to the secondremote device (step 404). In one embodiment, if the second remote devicedoes not include user app module 207, the second remote device mayreceive a text message or email with the invitation information. Forexample, FIG. 5B illustrates a sample text message 520. Text message 520includes a description 522 of the appointment and the person sending theappointment, a listing 524 of proposed appointment times, and two links526, 528 or accepting or declining the invitation. Text message 530 mayfurther include a message 530 providing instruction to the user. Theuser may accept or decline the invitation by selecting the appropriatelink 526, 528 and then typing in 1, 2, or 3 to indicate a chosen time.Text message 520 may further include a link 532 that the user may clickto download an application to install user app module 207. Text message520 may further include a link 534 that the user may click to visit awebsite. The website may then allow the user to respond to theappointment invitation. The website may further provide the user with adownloadable file with appointment information that may be used tocreate an entry on the user's calendar application.

In another embodiment, the user without user app module 207 may receivean email with invitation information. The email may include a link to awebsite where the user may accept, decline, or propose a counter offerto the invitation. The email may further include a calendar attachment(e.g., Outlook, iCal and/or Google Calendar attachments) that the usermay use for his or her own calendar application.

In one embodiment, if the remote device does not have user app module207, after the user has finalized the appointment with the first user,the user may enter his or her calendar application credentials.Appointment negotiation service 104 may then provide a display (e.g., ona website) that displays the calendar information of the user from thecalendar application, including a new calendar entry for the newappointment just finalized. The appointment negotiation optionstypically provided on user app module 207 may then be provided via thedisplay.

If the user does have user app module 207, step 404 may includetransmitting the appointment request to the remote device and creating apush notification for the remote device. Further, the appointmentrequest information may be used to populate an entry in a calendarapplication of user app module 207. For example, referring to FIG. 5C, acalendar application 540 is shown after receipt of the appointmentinvitation. The appointment invitation is shown to automaticallypopulate calendar 542 with entries 544, 546. The entries may behighlighted according to various settings of calendar application 540.For example, calendar application 540 may indicate each proposedappointment time as “tentative.” Each appointment time may behighlighted in color (e.g., yellow), shaded, or otherwise distinguishedfrom other appointments on the calendar. Calendar application 540 may beconfigured to determine whether to display each appointment time as itsown calendar entry. For example, entry 548 does not show as a possibleappointment time because the user already has something scheduled, eventhough the appointment time was part of the appointment request. Asanother example, entry 548 may show the possible appointment time, butthe entry may be shaded or include an icon that indicates the conflict.

The user of the second remote device may select an appointment time, anda selection of the appointment time may be received by appointmentnegotiation service 104 (step 406). For example, referring to FIGS.5C-D, a user may select calendar entry 544 to pop up message 550 of FIG.5D. The selection of the calendar entry may vary. In one embodiment, theuser may view a calendar entry, and the application may be configured todisplay an “accept” button. The user may then select the button toselect the time, or scroll to another appointment time. The user maythen confirm via button 552 that he or she wishes to select that timefor the appointment.

Step 406 may include receiving a notification that a user has declinedeach appointment time, or the appointment in general. The user may beprompted to suggest another time (see FIG. 6), or to provide a messageexplaining the denial to be provided to the first user.

Process 400 further includes transmitting an indication of a selectionof an appointment time to the first user using the first remote device(step 408). For example, the user of the first remote device may receivea push notification, such as one shown in window 560 of FIG. 5E, thatthe other user has accepted an appointment time. The user may thenconfirm the appointment via button 562 or cancel the appointment (oredit appointment details) via button 564. Alternatively, window 560 maynot include such options, and may simply indicate that the appointmenthas been booked. As another example, the user of the first remote devicemay receive a push notification, such as one shown in window 570 of FIG.5F, notifying the user that the other user has declined the invitation.

Step 408 may further include various activities once the appointmenttime has been set by both parties. For example, calendar entries foreach possible appointment time may be created as described above. Aspart of step 408, user app module 207 may be configured to delete allcalendar entries for unselected appointment times. Further, if theappointment time that was selected had been marked as “tentative”earlier at the first remote device, the status of the appointment timemay be changed to “confirmed” and the display of the calendar entry inthe calendar may turn from yellow to green to indicate the change. Theappointment time status at the second device may be changed to“confirmed” when the second user selects the appointment time, insteadof waiting for confirmation from appointment negotiation service 104.User app module 207 may further be configured to synchronize with othercalendar applications upon the completion of step 408.

Process 400 further includes synchronizing the appointment between thetwo remote devices (step 410). The synchronization allows a change madein the appointment by any user to be automatically applied to theappointment entry of each user, along with providing an accompanyingmessage to the other users regarding the change. Step 410 may includesynchronization with a calendar-based application of user app module 207or any other calendar system (e.g., iCal, Google calendar, Outlook,etc.).

One-to-One Scheduling with Counter Offers

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow chart of a process 600 for one-to-onescheduling using the appointment negotiation service is shown, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. Compared to process 400, process 600 may beexecuted when the second user wishes to propose a counter offer. Process600 may be executed by, for example, appointment negotiation service 104for two users (a first user using a first remote device and a seconduser using a second remote device) attempting to set up an appointment.

Process 600 includes receiving a request from the first user of a firstremote device to generate an appointment request (step 602) andtransmitting the appointment request, including two or more possibleappointment times to a second user of a second remote device (step 604).Instead of accepting or declining an appointment invitation, the seconduser may provide a counter offer. Process 600 further includes receivinga first counter offer from the second remote device (step 606). Thecounter offer may generally include a list of alternate appointmenttimes to propose to the first user.

For example, referring to display 700 shown in FIG. 7A, the second usermay be presented with a list of proposed appointment times 702, 704,706, along with an option 708 to decline the appointment and an option710 to select another time (e.g., to counter offer). Upon selectingoption 710, the user may be presented with window 720 of FIG. 7B.Display 720 may display a calendar application, and the second user mayselect one or more times 722 from the calendar application. As shown inFIG. 7B, the second user's calendar indicates the user is booked duringthe proposed appointment times, so the user may select 11 AM and 12 PMas alternative times. Referring now to display 730 of FIG. 7C, thesecond user has chosen two alternative times 732 and may send the timesvia option 734 to appointment negotiation service 104 at step 606. Uponsending the counter offer, a user app module 207 may be configured todelete calendar entries that may have been created relating to theoriginal appointment invitation.

Process 600 further includes transmitting the first counter offer to thefirst user of the first remote device (step 608). An example display 736is shown in FIG. 7D that may be presented to the first user. The firstuser may then select an appointment time from the counter offer orprovide a second counter offer to the second user.

In one embodiment, the first user selects an appointment time from thecounter offer. Process 600 includes receiving a selection of anappointment time of the first counter offer from the first remote device(step 610). Process 600 then includes transmitting an indication ofselection of the appointment time to the second remote device (step612). The activities of steps 610, 612 may generally be similar to theactivities of steps 406, 408 of FIG. 4 relating to alerting users viapush notification, updating the status of calendar entries, deletingunselected calendar entry times, synchronizing calendars, etc.

In one embodiment, the first user may instead provide a second counteroffer, including alternative appointment times, to the second user.Process 600 includes receiving a second counter offer from the firstuser of the first remote device (step 614). Process 600 then includestransmitting the second counter offer to the second remote device (step616). The first user and second user may continue to send each othercounter offers until one user either accepts an appointment time of acounter offer or declines the invitation. When the process of counteroffering is complete, the appointment may be synchronized for eachremote device (618) as generally described with reference to step 410 ofFIG. 4.

Process 600 describes an implementation of a counter offer process ifboth users have user app module 207. In one embodiment, if the secondremote device does not have user app module 207, the second user may notbe able to submit a counter offer. In another embodiment, the seconduser may submit a counter offer via a website, via text message, or viaany other electronic medium available to the user.

It should be understood that the displays shown in FIGS. 7A-D are shownby example only, and may be only partial views of the displays that maybe provided by user app module 207. For example, in FIGS. 7C-D, suchdisplays may be displayed over a calendar application, allowing for theuser to interact between the calendar and the displays. In other words,the appointment options as shown in FIGS. 7A-D are presented to the userwithin the context of the calendar application. Such a relationship isshown in greater detail in FIGS. 11-33.

Group Scheduling

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow chart of a process 800 for groupscheduling using the appointment negotiation service is shown, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. Process 800 may be executed when a firstuser wishes to create an appointment with multiple attendees. Process800 may be executed by, for example, appointment negotiation service 104for multiple users (a first user using a first remote device and atleast two second users using second remote devices) attempting to set upan appointment. While process 800 described a process for groupscheduling, it should be understood that elements as described withreference to one-to-one scheduling (particularly about pushnotifications, creating calendar entries via user app module 207, etc.)may be executed as part of process 800 at each individual remote device.

Process 800 includes receiving a request from the first user of thefirst remote device to generate an appointment request (step 802). Step802 may be similar to, for example, step 402 of process 400 with regardsto setting up an appointment. For example, also referring to FIG. 5A,the first user may simply select multiple users 514, 518 instead of asingle user, and appointment negotiation service 104 may be able toreceive the appointment information and to determine whether theappointment is a one-to-one appointment or a group appointment.

Process 800 further includes transmitting the appointment request,including two or more possible appointment times, to the second users ofthe second remote devices (step 804). If the user does not have user appmodule 207 on his or her remote device, the user may receive a textmessage or email as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5B. If theuser does have user app module 207, the user may be sent a pushnotification such as a display 900 shown in FIG. 9A. Display 900 maysimply indicate that the user has been invited to an appointment, andindicates three (or a different number) of possible appointment timesfor selection. The transmission of the appointment request may beprovided in the same manner as described with reference to process 400of FIG. 4. For example, for each second user with user app module 207 onhis or her remote device, step 804 may include generating calendarentries on the user application for each of the appointment times.

A first user may wish to invite more second users to the appointmentafter the initial invitation is sent at step 804, or one or more secondusers may wish to forward the invitation to other users. If so, theinvitation may be sent to other users after step 804, as long as thefinal appointment time for the appointment has not been finalized orselected by the first user. In one embodiment, a first user may send theinvitation to additional second users at his or her choosing. In anotherembodiment, a second user may send the invitation to an additionalsecond user. The second user may or may not seek permission from thefirst user to send the invitation to an additional second user. Theappointment negotiation server may be configured to receive all suchinvitations after the execution of step 804 and to update the firstremote device and each second remote device with information about eachuser as described below.

Process 800 further includes receiving a selection of appointment timesfrom at least one second user of the second remote devices (step 806).For example, referring also to display 910 of FIG. 9B, a second user isshown selecting two possible times (1 PM, 2 PM) for the appointment,that may be sent to appointment negotiation service 104 by pressingbutton 914.

Step 808 may include various sub-steps as part of the process ofselecting appointment times. In one embodiment, the user may simplyselect appointment times that fit the user's schedule (which may bezero, one, two, or more appointment times), and transmit the selectionback to appointment negotiation service 104.

In another embodiment, the user may vote or assign a value to eachoption. For example, the user may rank the appointment times from mostdesirable to least desirable. As another example, the user may vote oneach individual appointment time. The user may indicate, for eachappointment time, if the time is “ideal,” “okay,” “not okay” (e.g., theuser cannot make the appointment), or any other status to associate withthe appointment time.

In one embodiment, the plurality of second remote devices may continueto receive push notifications, or other information, from appointmentnegotiation service 104 at step 806. For example, each time a seconduser transmits a selection to service 104, service 104 may in responsetransmit the selection to the other second remote devices, updating astatus of the appointment invitation. For example, referring to display920 of FIG. 9C, a second user is shown receiving an indication thatanother second user has selected two times 922. The user may select atime via button 926, decline the invitation via button 924, or performany other action related to the appointment invitation.

In one embodiment, if a second user is unable to make the appointment atany of the given appointment times, the user may provide a counter offerwith additional appointment times. As compared to process 600 of FIG. 6,however, since there are other second users with whom the first user isnegotiating with, the proposed additional appointment times may or maynot be sent to other second users. The additional appointment times may,however, be placed as a calendar entry via user app module 207.

Process 800 further includes transmitting a selection of appointmenttimes to the first user of the first remote device and the plurality ofsecond remote devices (step 808). In one embodiment, each user mayreceive a selection of an individual second user after the user makesthe selection. In another embodiment, step 808 may include waiting untilall second users have responded, and sending an aggregate response tothe all users. In yet another embodiment, step 808 may include waitinguntil a majority or set percentage of second users have responded, mayinclude waiting until one or more “important” users have responded, orotherwise.

If a first user receives second user selections one at a time, the firstuser may select an appointment time to confirm, or may simply continueto wait for more responses. If the first user receives all second userselections at once, the first user may then be prompted to select anappointment time. In one embodiment, appointment negotiation service 104may aggregate all information in a table or chart, allowing the firstuser to view all appointment time information. In another embodiment,appointment negotiation service 104 may suggest one or more appointmenttimes that fits everyone's schedule or fits the most schedules. If theuser receives only a plurality, but not all, of second user selections,appointment negotiation service 104 may indicate which second users haveyet to respond, if a majority consensus on an appointment time has beenreached, if a particular appointment time can be ruled out, or ifvarious counter offer appointment times are lining up, indicating to thefirst user (e.g., organizer) that the appointment times should beincluded in a subsequent round of counter offers, etc.

In one embodiment, the second user selections may include feedbackrelating to each appointment time that was proposed. Referring todisplay 930 of FIG. 9D, a second user may specify, for each proposedappointment time, a preference. For example, in FIG. 9D, the second usermay specify for appointment time 932 that the time is ideal (representedby two checkmarks), that appointment time 934 is okay (represented byone checkmark), and that appointment time 936 is not okay (representedby an X).

As one example, the first user may receive a push notification viadisplay 940 of FIG. 9E, indicating that a second user is unavailable forthe appointment at the selected times. The push notification may alsoindicate if the second user has included one or more counter offerappointment times. The first user may receive such a notification oncethe second user has made the indication, or may be provided as one of anumber of responses provided at step 808 at once. The first user maythen decide to either ignore the suggestion, create a counter offer withnew proposed appointment times, or create an addition to the currentappointment invitation with the new appointment times. The new orrevised appointment invitations may then be sent out to the plurality ofsecond users.

The first user may eventually select a single appointment time for theappointment. Process 800 may include receiving the selection, andtransmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time tothe plurality of second remote devices (step 810). For example, step 810may include sending a push notification such as that shown in display950 of FIG. 9F. Step 810 may further include various activities relatedto user app module 207 operation. For example, user app module 207 mayreceive the notification and update and synchronize with a calendarapplication of the remote device, may delete unused appointment timesfrom the calendar, etc.

Process 800 further includes synchronizing the appointment with eachremote device (step 812). For example, if a second user later cancelshis or her appointment, all other users may be notified and the calendarentry for each user may be updated. As another example, if a first userchanges the appointment details, all second users may be notified andthe calendar entry updated.

Appointment Negotiation Server

Referring now to FIG. 10, appointment negotiation service 104 isdescribed in greater detail. Appointment negotiation service 104 may beconfigured to execute the systems and methods described herein,particularly processes 400, 600, 800. The possible variations onone-to-one scheduling and group scheduling methods as described inprocesses 400, 600, 800 may be implemented by appointment negotiationservice 104 as additional or alternative steps in processes 400, 600,800, according to varying embodiments of the present disclosure.

Appointment negotiation service 104 includes a processing circuit 1002including a processor 1004 and memory 1006. Processor 1002 may beimplemented as a general purpose processor, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronicprocessing components. Memory 1004 is one or more devices (e.g., RAM,ROM, flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) for storing data and/orcomputer code for completing and/or facilitating the various user orclient processes, layers, and modules described in the presentdisclosure. Memory 1004 may be or include volatile memory ornon-volatile memory. Memory 1004 may include database components, objectcode components, script components, or any other type of informationstructure for supporting the various activities and informationstructures of the present disclosure. Memory 1004 is communicablyconnected to processor 1002 and includes computer code or instructionmodules for executing one or more processes described herein.Appointment negotiation service 104 further includes a network interface1008 for wirelessly communicating with one or more remote devices.

With respect to the description below, “first user” and “first remotedevice” relates to a user creating an appointment invitation, and“second user” and “second remote device” relates to one or more usersbeing invited to an appointment by the first user.

Memory 1004 may include a one-to-one scheduling module 1010 and groupscheduling module 1030. Modules 1010, 1030 may be configured to handleone-to-one scheduling and group scheduling services of service 104,respectively. Memory 1004 may receive an initial first user input from afirst remote device. Memory 1004 may determine whether the initial userinput relates to an appointment invitation including one other user ormultiple users, and may determine the correct module 1010, 1030 to use.

One-to-one scheduling module 1010 is shown to include a calendar appmodule 1012. Calendar app module 1012 may be configured to provide auser app module of a remote device (e.g., user app module 207 of remotedevice 102) with calendar application data. The calendar applicationdata may be used by the user app module to generate a user interface fora user of the remote device that displays calendar-related information.For example, the calendar application data may include a title anddescription for a proposed appointment, all proposed appointment times,the person sending the invitation, the location of the appointment, ifthe appointment is recurring, etc. Module 1012 may send calendarapplication data such that the user app module may create a calendarentry for each proposed appointment time. Each calendar entry may bemarked as “tentative” (and marked, shaded yellow, or otherwisedistinguished as such in the app) until the corresponding appointmenttime is confirmed or denied. In one embodiment, calendar app module 1012generates calendar application data for the second remote device whilethe user app module of the first remote device may create calendarapplication data based on the initial invitation. In another embodiment,calendar app module 1012 may generate calendar application data for bothremote devices.

When appointment negotiation service 104 receives an acceptance of anappointment time or denial from either remote device, calendar appmodule 1012 may be configured to send the appropriate calendarapplication data to update calendar entries (e.g., to remove calendarentries for unselected times, to change statuses from “tentative” to“confirmed,” etc.).

Module 1010 further includes push notification module 1014. Pushnotification module 1014 may be configured to generate a pushnotification that appears on a remote device of a user. For example, thepush notification may simply be a window including a message indicatingthat a first user has invited the second user to an appointment. Asanother example, the push notification may be a window including amessage that a second user has accepted, declined, or counter-offered anappointment invitation. The push notification may include any number ofinput fields (e.g., selectable buttons) that allows the user to selectappointment times, accept or decline invitations, and the like.

Module 1010 further includes counter offer module 1016, which may beconfigured to manage a counter offer of a first user or second user. Forexample, when a second user makes a counter offer to an appointmentinvitation, module 1016 may receive the request and correspondinginformation (e.g., a message from the second user, proposed appointmenttimes, etc.). Module 1016 may be configured to provide the informationto calendar app module 1012 so that module 1012 may update calendarentries of both users, and to push notification module 1014 to send apush notification to the first user. As another example, module 1016 maymanage a second counter offer from the first user in a similar manner.

Module 1010 further includes a non-user module 1018. Non-user module1018 may be configured to handle communication with a second remotedevice that does not include a user app module. Non-user module 1018 maybe configured to receive an appointment invitation from the first userand to generate a text message, email, or other message to send to thesecond user. For example, the message may be a text message that thesecond user can reply to in order to accept or decline an appointmentinvitation, along with selecting an appointment time. As anotherexample, the message may be an email with a link to a website. Thewebsite may then include a user interface that allows the second user toaccept or decline an appointment invitation, along with selecting anappointment time. The email may also include a link to download a userapplication that may execute or install the user app module on theremote device of the user.

Group scheduling module 1030 is shown to include a calendar app module1032. Calendar app module 1032 may have functionality similar tocalendar app module 1012, but may serve a plurality of second remotedevices instead of a single remote device. Therefore, calendar appmodule 1032 may be additionally configured to send calendar applicationdata for other second users of second remote devices.

For example, when a second user provides an input relating to theappointment invitation, the input may relate to user availability foreach of the appointment times. Calendar app module 1032 may beconfigured to send an update to each of the second users relating to theuser availability. For example, if one user indicates that he or shecannot make an appointment for a given appointment time, the informationmay be sent to other users so that they can see that the user cannotmake the given appointment time. In one embodiment, calendar app module1032 may be configured to send such updates each time a user providesinformation, at regular given intervals, or on any other type ofschedule.

Module 1030 further includes a push notification module 1034. Pushnotification module 1034 may be configured to generate a pushnotification that appears on a remote device of a user. For example, thepush notification may simply be a window including a message indicatingthat a first user has invited multiple second users to an appointment.As another example, the push notification may be a window including amessage that a second user has responded to the appointment invitationby indicating preferences to each appointment time. The pushnotification may include any number of input fields (e.g., selectablebuttons) that allows the user to select appointment time preferences,decline invitations, and the like. In one embodiment, push notificationmodule 1034 may provide a push notification to each user after a singleuser responds to the appointment invitation. In another embodiment, pushnotification module 1034 may provide push notifications at scheduledintervals instead, or on any other timetable, such that the plurality ofsecond users do not receive continuous updates.

Module 1030 further includes a counter offer module 1036. Counter offermodule 1036 may be configured to manage a counter offer of a seconduser. For example, when a second user makes a counter offer to anappointment invitation, module 1036 may receive the request andcorresponding information (e.g., a message from the second user,proposed appointment times, etc.). Module 1036 may be configured toprovide the information to the first user, and the first user may ignoreor respond to the counter offer accordingly.

Module 1030 further includes a non-user module 1038. One or more of thesecond users may use a remote device without a user app module. Non-usermodule 1038 may be configured to handle communication with a secondremote device that does not include a user app module. Non-user module1038 may be configured to receive an appointment invitation from thefirst user and to generate a text message, email, or other message tosend to a second user. For example, the message may be a text messagethat the second user can reply to in order to vote on or rankappointment times of the appointment invitation. As another example, themessage may be an email with a link to a website. The website may theninclude a user interface that allows the second user to vote on or rankappointment times of the appointment invitation, make counter offers,etc.

Module 1030 further includes second user reply module 1040. Module 1040may be configured to receive the various user replies and to analyze andsort the data. For example, each user may provide, for each proposedappointment time, an indication that the time is ideal for the user,that the time is okay for the user, that the time is not good for theuser, or another indication. Module 1040 may receive the indication foreach appointment time. Module 1040 may further aggregate the indicationsto determine a most ideal appointment time, an appointment time thatshould be discarded, and so forth. Module 1040 may, in one embodiment,assemble the various indications into a table format for presenting to afirst user and plurality of second users. Module 1040 may also organizevarious counter offers in various ways to offer the first user moreappropriate counter offer options to offer the other users in the group.For example, if three other users have indicated a common counter offerappointment time, module 1040 may indicate the appointment time to thefirst user and suggest the first user incorporate the appointment timein a counter offer to the group of users.

As another example, each user may rank each proposed appointment timefrom best to worst, and module 1040 may be configured to aggregate thevotes to determine an average ranking or a most desired appointmenttime.

Module 1030 further includes boss mode module 1042. In one embodiment,during group scheduling, a first user may send invites to a plurality ofsecond users, but one or more of the second users may have higherpriority than the other users (e.g., they may be bosses or supervisors,essential personnel for the appointment, etc.). Boss mode module 1042may be configured to receive a response from the higher priority usersand determine when an update should be sent to the first user and/orother less important second users. For example, a supervisor may respondto an appointment invitation by indicating his or her preferredappointment times. Boss mode module 1042 may receive the supervisorinput and determine that one or more appointment times that conflictwith the supervisor should be removed, that a particular appointmenttime should be chosen by the first user based on the supervisor input,etc. In one embodiment, the supervisor may override other users'decisions and set an appointment time himself or herself, and boss modemodule 1042 may be configured to alert the other modules of module 1030.In another embodiment, the supervisor may receive the appointmentinvitation before the other invitees receive the invitation. Thesupervisor may approve the appointment invitation for sending to otherusers, the supervisor may edit the appointment times, approve or deleteindividual appointment times, or may otherwise edit, approve, ordisapprove any aspect of the appointment invitation before theinvitation is sent to the other second users.

Appointment negotiation service 104 and memory 1004 is shown to furtherinclude a database 1050. Database 1050 may be configured to store datarelated to the appointments and users. For example, database 1050, for agroup scheduling process, may be configured to store the votes of eachsecond user (e.g., a status for each appointment time submitted by eachuser), a timestamp indicating when the second users voted, and othersecond user data to be transmitted to a first user data before the firstuser selects an appointment time. Database 1050 may further store anindication if a second user has viewed or responded to the appointmentinvitation yet. Database 1050 may be configured to store all data thatmay be transmitted to and from appointment negotiation service 104 asdescribed with reference to modules 1010, 1030, and their sub-modules.

It should be understood that while various modules are shown inappointment negotiation service 104, one or more of the modules mayadditionally or alternatively be a part of user app module 207 of aremote device 102, such that the activities described may be performedby the remote device instead of appointment negotiation service 104.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 4-10, a first remote device is generallydescribed as a mobile device, while the second remote devices may bemobile devices or non-mobile devices. In another embodiment, the firstremote device may be a non-mobile device, and the first remote devicemay include a user app module configured to handle the activitiesdescribed herein.

User Interfaces

Referring generally to FIGS. 11-32, various example user interfaces areshown and described. The user interfaces of FIGS. 11-32 may be generatedby a user app module that receives appointment information from anappointment negotiation service. The user interfaces of FIGS. 11-32 areprovided as example user interfaces and are not intended to be limitingthe possible configurations and presentation of the appointmentinformation as shown.

Referring to FIG. 11, user interface 1100 may be used by a first user ofa first remote device (e.g., an inviter) to create or edit anappointment. The user may access user interface 1100 when first creatinga meeting, or editing an existing meeting. The user is provided withvarious fields on user interface 1100 related to the appointment. Theuser may change a name or title for the appointment in field 1102. Theuser may change a duration (e.g., how long the appointment will last)using fields 1104. The user may set one or more alarms using fields 1106that will remind one or all users about the appointment beforehand(e.g., 15 minutes before the appointment as shown in FIG. 11). The usermay specify a type of appointment in field 1108. For example, the usermay specify that the appointment is casual, is a work meeting, is asocial gathering, phone call, online presentation, etc. The user mayfurther specify how to categorize the appointment, or which of theusers' calendars to write the appointment into (by category or bycalendar application, etc.) using field 1108. The user may specify isthe appointment should be recurring using field 1110 (e.g., if themeeting occurs every day, every week, every month, every year, etc.).The user may specify who is invited to the appointment using field 1112.The user may specify the three (or other number) of appointment times topresent to the other users being invited to the appointment using fields1114. For example, three times are illustrated as being proposed in userinterface 1100. The user may cancel the creation or editing of theappointment via button 1116, and may create, edit, save, and/or send theappointment using button 1118.

Referring to FIG. 12, user interface 1200 may be a calendar interfacegenerated by a user app module using retrieved calendar data. Userinterface 1200 includes multiple appointments 1202, 1204, 1206. Theappointment information shown with appointments 1202, 1204, 1206 mayinclude the other users invited to the appointment, a status of eachuser (e.g., a question mark indicates the user is tentatively joiningand the checkmark indicates the user has verified he or she willattend), a name and meeting location of the appointment, or otherinformation. In one embodiment, each meeting may be color coded suchthat the user may identify the type of appointment (e.g., work, social,etc.) or which third party calendar service the appointment will bewritten to. User interface 1200 is an example user interface that may begenerated when a user wishes to view his or her calendar.

Referring to FIG. 13, user interface 1300 is another calendar interfacethat may be generated by a user app module using retrieved calendardata. User interface 1300 includes multiple appointments 1202, 1204,1206 displaying the same information as described with reference to FIG.12. However, in addition, other user interface elements are shown.Element 1306 is shown in a blank space in the user's schedule. Element1306 may indicate to the user that this particular time period (2 PM inthe example of FIG. 13) is open and that the user may schedule anotherappointment in the time slot without interfering with otherappointments. Element 1308 is also shown within appointment 1307.Element 1308 may indicate to the user that this particular time period(3 PM in FIG. 13) was originally open for the user but has been selectedby the user as a possible time for a one-to-one or group appointment.Elements 1306, 1308 may be color coded to indicate a particular status.For example, elements 1306, 1308 may be color coded to represent thatthe time if available or empty, indicating to the user that the time isavailable for the appointment. In other embodiments, elements 1306, 1308may indicate the times are part of the user's work schedule, that thetime is not pat of the user's work schedule, or otherwise. This mayassist the user in decision-making when it comes to choosing appointmenttimes.

Referring to FIG. 14, user interface 1400 is another calendar interfacethat displays a calendar. User interface 1400 may allow the user tonavigate in between dates while in the appointment negotiation process.Dates 1402, 1404 are shown as color coded dates, which may generallyrepresent availability and other properties. A user may view interface1400 to see which days he or she is scheduled for an appointment.

Referring to FIG. 15, user interface 1500 is another calendar interfacedisplaying three appointments 1502, 1504, 1506. User interface 1500 maybe displayed on a second remote device. The second remote device mayreceive an invitation to an appointment, shown as appointment 1506.Appointment 1506 is shown as shaded in user interface 1500, indicatingthe appointment as tentative. Appointment 1506 includes an accept button1508 that will accept the appointment at the given time (3 PM) ifselected. Appointment 1506 also includes the one or more other users1510, along with an indicator of how many users are invited and/or howmany users have replied, and may include other appointment information.

In addition to presenting the appointment in field 1506, alternativetimes for the appointment may be displayed at the bottom of userinterface 1500. The user may select the first time 1512 of 3 PM, thesecond time 1514 of 2 PM on another day, or a third time 1516 of 9 PM ona third day. When the user selects one of times 1512, 1514, 1516, thecalendar may automatically shift appointment 1506 displayed above intothe new time slot on the calendar. For example, as shown, the user mayhave selected time 1512. User interface 1500 further includes a cancelbutton 1518 that allows the user to cancel or decline the appointment.

Referring to FIG. 16, user interface 1600 is another calendar interfacedisplaying three appointments 1602, 1604, 1606. User interface 1600 maybe displayed on a second remote device. The second remote device mayreceive an invitation to an appointment, shown as appointment 1606.Appointment 1606 is shown as shaded in user interface 1600, indicatingthe appointment as tentative. Appointment 1506 includes an element 1608that may designate the particular time (3 PM in FIG. 16) as busy, open,a working time, or any other type of designation. Use interface 1600further includes times 1612, 1614, 1616 and button 1618, which have thesame functionality as described with reference to times 1512, 1514,1516, and button 1518 of FIG. 15.

Referring to FIG. 17, an example invite list is shown in user interface1700. When a first user is first setting up an appointment, the user mayselect invitees from a list of friends via button 1702, via a list ofother users who have the same user app module via button 1704, or anyother list of users including but not limited to contact from the user'sdevice. The user may select button 1706 to send out the invites toselected users.

One user 1708 is shown with a checkmarked element 1710, indicating theuser has been selected. Another user 1712 is shown with an invite button1714 that the user may press to select user 1712.

Referring to FIG. 18, user interface 1800 displays another calendarapplication. User interface is shown to include a weekly view, andillustrates various appointments. The appointments may be color coded,according to various embodiments. For example, appointment 1802 may beshaded blue to indicate a social appointment. Appointment 1804 may beshaded green to indicate a work-related appointment. Appointment 1806may be shaded red to indicate a personal appointment.

Referring to FIG. 19, user interface 1900 illustrates a notificationlist. When a second user responds to an appointment invite, userinterface 1900 may be configured to display a notification to the firstuser about the response. For example, notification 1902 indicates thatthe second user has accepted an appointment invitation at a particulartime and date. Notifications may continue to be listed on user interface1900, and the user may clear the list, respond to a particularnotification, etc.

Referring to FIG. 20, user interface 2000 illustrates an example pushnotification 2004. Push notification 2004 may pop up after another userhas accepted an appointment invite. The user may confirm the appointmentvia button 2008, or may cancel or edit the appointment via button 2006.Also illustrated in user interface 2000 is alert 2002. Alert 2002 maypop up on user interface 2000 after a user sends out an appointmentinvitation.

Referring to FIG. 21, user interface 2100 illustrates anothernotification list. Compared to user interface 1900 of FIG. 19, userinterface 2100 may be a user interface on a second user's remote device,indicating to the user that he or she has received an invitation to anappointment. Notification 2102 may indicate the person who send theinvitation, along with a title, location and other information,including the proposed appointment times.

Referring to FIG. 22, user interface 2200 illustrates a method ofselecting an appointment time. User interface 2200 may be provided on,for example, a remote device of a second user. Three possibleappointments 2202, 2204, 2206 are displayed on user interface 2200 forthe user to view. At the bottom of user interface 2200, the three times2208, 2210, 2212 corresponding with appointments 2202, 2204, 2206 areshown. The user may select an appointment to approve either viaselecting an appointment 2202, 2204, 2206 or selecting a time 2208,2210, 2212. The user may confirm the selection via button 2214, orcancel the appointment via button 2216.

User interface 2200 is shown as an example of a contextual view of theappointment. The appointment may be received by the remote device, andmay be used to populate the calendar with an entry for the appointmentfor each appointment time. The user may then choose an appointment time,vote on the appointment times, or otherwise interact with theappointments using the calendar application as shown in FIG. 22, withoutusing a separate application. In FIG. 22, user interface 2202 ishighlighted in yellow, orange or through a pattern 2203 as shown in timeslot 3:30 PM. The highlighting or the indication allow the user to showthat one of the selections could occur at 3:30 PM. Similarly, the nextsuggested time may be 5:00 PM and it may be highlighted. 7:00 PM mayalso be highlighted.

Referring to FIG. 23, user interface 2300 illustrates a feature of groupscheduling available to the inviter (e.g., the first user). Userinterface 2300 may be used to display user responses to a plurality ofproposed appointment times (11 AM, 1:30 PM, and 6 PM as shown in FIG.23) for an appointment 2302. A plurality of users 2304-2316 are shown ashaving responded to each proposed appointment time.

The user may select, for each time, whether the appointment time isideal, okay, or not okay. In one embodiment, two checkmarks mayrepresent ideal, one checkmark may represent okay, and an X mayrepresent not okay. The user may view the various responses on userinterface 2300 and select a best time based on the responses.

Referring to FIGS. 24-25, user interfaces 2400, 2500 may be providedwhen a first user is setting up a new event or appointment. Userinterface 2400 may be an expanded view of options available to the firstuser when setting up the appointment, which user interface 2500 may be acollapsed view of options available. User interface 2400 is shown toinclude an event information section 2402, event detail section 2410,and collaboration option section 2420 are shown. In event informationsection 2402, the first user may provide a title 2404 for theappointment, a location 2406 of the appointment, and contact information2408 for the appointment. For example, if the appointment is a meetingin a conference room that other users may call in to participate, thefirst user may specify such contact information in field 2408.

The first user may, in event detail section 2410, identify a desiredstart time 2412 of the appointment, and a duration 2414 the appointmentwill be scheduled to last. The first user may further a calendarapplication 2416 to send the invitation to and an alarm 2418. Alarm 2418may be used to alert the first user at a set time before the appointmentthat the appointment is about to begin.

The first user may, in collaboration option section 2420, specify one ormore users to invite to the appointment in field 2422. The first usermay also specify other alternative start times for the appointment toprovide as options to the other users. The first user may also provideother notes 2426 or information related to the appointment to send tothe other uses. The first user may further specify a type of appointmentby selecting one or more of buttons 2428. For example, the first usermay specify if the appointment will be held via a phone call, if theappointment will be held over lunch, dinner, coffee, drinks, etc., if itis an in-person meeting, etc. When done, the first user may confirm theappointment via button 2430, or the first user may cancel theappointment via button 2432.

In user interface 2500, a collapsed version is shown that illustrates anevent information section 2502, indicating a selected title 2504,location 2506, and contact information 2508 (e.g., a phone number todial). The first user may view user interface 2500 to verify thecreation or editing of the appointment. User interface 2500 furtherincludes elements 2510 that indicate a selected type of appointment. Thefirst user may verify the appointment via button 2512 or cancel theappointment via button 2514.

Referring generally to FIGS. 26-29, user interfaces are shown thatillustrate various method of displaying notification information.Notification information may generally include a list of three differenttypes of notifications: notifications that a user has to respond to,notifications indicating that another user has to respond, andnotifications that indicate that an appointment has been booked orfinalized. Notification information may be assembled as generally shownin FIGS. 26-29 to organize all notifications for a user into a singlescreen, for easier viewing.

In user interface 2600 of FIG. 26, the user may view a list ofnotifications that require a response from the user (indicated byelement 2602). The list of notifications 2604, 2606, 2608, 2610, 2612may include an identification of the user awaiting the response, thetitle of the appointment, and a time at which the notification arrived(e.g., when the other user sent the notification. User interface 2600may further include elements 2614, 2616, 2618 that may indicate animportance of the appointment, a particular time that conflicts with theuser or is ideal for the user, or otherwise.

In user interface 2700 of FIG. 27, the user may view a list ofnotifications that require a response from another user (indicated byelement 2702). The list of notifications 2704, 2706, 2708, 2710, 2712may include an identification of the one or more users that need torespond, a title of the appointment, an organizer of the appointment,and a timestamp indicating when the request for a response was sent.User interface 2700 may further include elements 2714, 2716, 2718, 2720,2722 that may indicate an importance of the appointment, a particulartime that conflicts with the user or is ideal for the user, orotherwise.

In user interface 2800 of FIG. 28, the user may view a list ofnotifications that were generated based on an acceptance or booking ofan appointment (indicated by element 2802). For example, notifications2804, 2806, 2808, 2810, 2812 are booked appointments. Notifications2804, 2806, 2808, 2810, 2812 may indicate the appointment title,organizer (first user), and a time at which the appointment was bookedor finalized. User interface 2800 may further include elements 2814,2816, that may indicate an importance of the appointment, a particulartime that conflicts with the user or is ideal for the user, orotherwise.

Referring to FIG. 29, user interface 2900 may be a display similar touser interface 2700 of FIG. 27, displayed on a mobile device.

Referring to FIG. 30, user interface 3000 may be used by a second userin order to vote on possible appointment times in a group schedulingprocess. User interface 3000 includes calendar entries 3002, 3004 thatare created when the user is sent the appointment invitation. Calendarentries 3002, 3004 are marked as tentative until the appointment time isfinalized. User interface 3000 further includes a second portion 3006 inwhich the user may provide feedback for specific appointment times. Forexample, for each appointment time 3008 listed, the user may tap thebutton for the appointment time to change a status (ideal, okay, can't,or another status). When finished, the user may finalize his or herselections by tapping button 3010. The user may further view who elsehas been invited via tapping button 3012. By tapping button 3012, a listof other users may be presented, along with the voting results of theother users if they have already voted on the appointment times. Theuser may further decline the invitation by tapping button 3014 orpostponing making a decision on the appointment by tapping button 3016.Calendar entry 3005 may reflect an existing appointment that exists inthe user's calendar application (e.g., Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar,etc.). If entries 3002, 3004 were in conflict with entry 3005 or anotherexisting calendar entry, an indication of the conflict may be made tothe user of the remote device. Calendar entry 3002 may be highlighted,use a different color that indicates the current voting status.

Referring to FIG. 31, user interface 3100 may be a user interfaceprovided to a user wishing to view appointment details. User interface3100 includes a field 3012 that includes a title and description of theappointment, along with the date of the appointment. User interface 3100further includes a field 3104 that indicates a calendar application inwhich the appointment has been entered into. User interface 3100 furtherincludes a contact field 3106 indicating a inviter (e.g., first user) tocontact about the appointment and a contact field 3108 that relates tothe inviter. User interface 3100 further includes location field 3110that identifies the location of the appointment, and may include a mapor other visual or direction information. User interface 3100 furtherinclude field 3112 which may allow the user to see others' votes onpotential appointment times.

Referring to FIG. 32, user interface 3200 includes a first section 3202and second section 3204. Sections 3202, 3204 may be similar to userinterfaces 2000, 2100 as described above. In the embodiment of FIG. 32,sections 3202, 3204 may be displayed side-by-side for the user.

Referring to FIG. 33, another user interface 3300 is shown that includesa calendar application. In the embodiment of FIG. 33, an appointment hasbeen sent to a user, and the calendar application of the user or a thirdparty calendar populates the calendar with three separate appointments3302, 3304, 3306 representing the three possible appointment times thatwere proposed. At the bottom of user interface 3300, the user may selectone of the three appointment times 3308, 3310, 3312 for the appointment,or the user may select the desired appointment from the calendar above.The user may further decline the invitation via button 3314 or postponea decision on the appointment via button 3316. The contextual view inFIG. 33 allows to user to realize that there are two 4 pm appointmentsand further the conflicting appointment may be highlighted or filledwith a patter to show the context to the user. The context allows theuser to make an appropriate selection.

The present disclosure describes the appointment negotiation process asoccurring between a first user on a first remote device and one or moresecond users on a second remote device. In one embodiment, a single usermay use more than one remote device during the process. For example, thefirst user may send an invitation on one device, say a smartphone, thenfinalize the appointment on another device, say a tablet, if the user isin another location. It should be understood that a user may use morethan one device throughout the appointment negotiation process. Further,a user may edit an existing appointment on a different remote devicethan he or she used to book or negotiate the appointment on originally.

The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown inthe various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only afew embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.). For example, the position of elements may bereversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discreteelements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thepresent disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method stepsmay be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplaryembodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and programproducts on any machine-readable media for accomplishing variousoperations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implementedusing existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computerprocessor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or anotherpurpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of thepresent disclosure include program products comprising machine-readablemedia for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or datastructures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be anyavailable media that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example,such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROMor other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or storedesired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions ordata structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Wheninformation is transferred or provided over a network or anothercommunications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combinationof hardwired or wireless) to a machine, the machine properly views theconnection as a machine-readable medium. Thus, any such connection isproperly termed a machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above arealso included within the scope of machine-readable media.Machine-executable instructions include, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function orgroup of functions.

Although the figures may show a specific order of method steps, theorder of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or moresteps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Suchvariation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and ondesigner choice. All such variations are within the scope of thedisclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps,comparison steps and decision steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing a scheduling service to two remote devices, comprising: receiving a request of a first user from a first remote device to generate an appointment request to invite a second user to an appointment, wherein the request of the first user comprises two or more possible appointment times suggested by the first user for the appointment; generating, using a processor, the appointment request to include the two or more possible appointment times as application data for causing a graphical user interface of an application on a second remote device to display the two or more possible appointment times as selectable items in the graphical user interface; transmitting through a network the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the second remote device; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from the second remote device indicating a time for the appointment selected by the second user from among the two or more possible appointment times suggested by the first user; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device; and synchronizing the appointment between the two remote devices such that a change in the appointment time by the first user using the first remote device is automatically applied to an appointment entry for the second user on the second remote device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second remote device is configured to display the selectable items for the two or more possible appointment times via the graphical user interface; and wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the two remote devices; wherein transmitting the appointment request to the second remote device further comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are mobile devices.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a mobile device and the second remote device is a non-mobile device.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a first counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the first counter offer to the first remote device; receiving a second counter offer from the first remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; and transmitting the second counter offer to the second remote device.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the counter offer to the first remote device; and receiving a selection of an appointment time of the counter offer from the first remote device; and transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the second remote device.
 11. A method for providing a scheduling service to a first remote device and a plurality of second remote devices, comprising: receiving a request of a first user from the first remote device to generate an appointment request to invite a plurality of users to an appointment, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times suggested by the first user for the appointment; generating, using a processor, the appointment request to include the two or more possible appointment times as application data for causing a graphical user interface of an application on each of the plurality of second remote devices to display the two or more possible appointment times as selectable items in the graphical user interface; transmitting through a network the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from at least one of the second remote devices; transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the first remote device; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices; and synchronizing the appointment between the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices such that a change in the appointment time by the first user using the first remote device is automatically applied to a corresponding appointment entry for each of the plurality of users on each of the plurality of second remote devices.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of second remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via the graphical user interface of the application on each of the plurality of second remote devices; and wherein the graphical user interface of the application on each of the plurality of second remote devices is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface of the application on each of the plurality of second remote devices is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the appointment request to the plurality of second remote device further comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times; wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times is received from all of the plurality of second remote devices before selecting an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmission of the selection of appointment times to the first remote device comprises a selection of appointment times from a subset of the plurality of second remote devices.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the selections of an appointment time is received from a second remote device identified as a remote device of a primary user.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the selection of an appointment time comprises: an indication, for each appointment time, that the appointment time is “ideal”, “okay”, or “not okay”.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: after receiving a selection of an appointment time from a second remote device, transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices comprises: transmitting the indication for each appointment time; wherein the graphical user interface of the application on each of the plurality of second remote devices is configured to display indication information for each second user.
 22. The method of claim 11, wherein the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices are mobile devices.
 23. The method of claim 11, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device.
 24. A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices, comprising: a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices; and a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices; wherein the processing circuit is configured to generate an appointment request in response to a request of a first user from a first remote device to include two or more possible appointment times suggested by the first user for an appointment with a second user as application data for causing a graphical user interface of an application on a second remote device to display for the second user the two or more possible appointment times as selectable items in the graphical user interface; and wherein the processing circuit is configured to synchronize the appointment between the first remote device and the second remote device such that a change in an appointment time for the appointment by the first user using the first remote device is automatically applied to an appointment entry for the second user on the second remote device.
 25. The server of claim 24, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive a user input from the first remote device and to transmit scheduling options to a plurality of second remote devices; wherein the communications interface is further configured to receive user input from at least one of the plurality of second remote devices; wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices based on the user input from the at least one of the plurality of second remote devices.
 26. The server of claim 25, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times; and wherein the user input from the at least one of the plurality of second remote devices comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times.
 27. The server of claim 26, wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive a selection of an appointment time from the first remote device based on a determination of a best appointment time. 